Royals Forward Ryan Cruthers Making Headlines

SPRING TOWNSHIP - Royals forward Ryan Cruthers has played well since his return to the pro ranks. He's currently third on the team in points and is a part of the most productive line on the team. However, that may not be the most productive part of his hockey life. Cruthers is also the Director of Ice Hockey at Body Zone and coach of the Junior Royals teams. For as much as Cruthers likes to play the game, he enjoys coaching and being around the kids even more. He has around 80 youngsters learning to play the game, spread among five travel teams. The program continues to grow, and Cruthers expects the numbers to double next year.

Cruthers says the grind of being both a player and coach is not bad because he's so passionate about it. In fact, he passes on some of the things he learns under Larry Courville to his Junior Royals teams. His players are always excited to receive that kind of training. A player-coach is a real rarity, and he is certainly the only one in the region who is actively playing pro.

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